The Hunters and the Hunted
by sentinel28
Summary: While Sango is out looking for clues as to where Kagai is, Kagai strikes first. Someone is going to die.
1. Every Tale Has a Beginning

_**THE HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED**_

_**An Inu-Yasha Short Story**_

_**By Sentinel 28A**_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I'm back, after a long hiatus. Naturally, I think I'm done with Battletech for awhile, so it's back to the Sengoku Jidai for some Inu-Yasha goodness._

_I've posted the first three chapters of this story before, but it was during a time period in which I didn't feel much like doing anything…and then I got back into writing the "Snowbird Saga" and everything has taken a back seat to that. Now that the Snowbirds' story is told, I can get back to writing anime fanfic—when I'm not doing my job and trying to get published for real, anyway._

_So yes, the first three chapters are a bit of a rehash. I have, however, made some changes to reflect the ending of the real Inu-Yasha saga. One change I decided not to make, however: I think Sango and Miroku's firstborns are twins, but I made one older than the other. The story works better that way._

_The prologue scene is inspired by the late Kristine Batey's "Hero in the 21st Century," which depicts Miroku working as a scribe for the Tokugawa Shogunate. It made sense to me, since there doesn't seem to be a lot of money in demon-hunting._

_I intend to update this story every day or every other day for the next few weeks. The story is actually finished—this time, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't bog down or lose interest and leave my readers hanging. So I hope you enjoy this foray back into Rumiko Takahashi's feudal fairy tale…_

PROLOGUE:

EVERY TALE HAS A BEGINNING...

"Papa-san! Papa-san!"

Miroku paused, his hand frozen over the ricepaper parchment, brush stilled by the voice of his youngest, three-year old daughter. She practically leapt into his lap, not caring a whit that she nearly upset the small table that held her father's ink block and a rather important paper for Lord Tokugawa. Miroku, with the patience of the Buddhist monk he had once been, carefully moved the table out of harm's way and set the brush down. "Yes, what is it, Kazuko-chan? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Yes, she should! Sorry, Father, she ran off before I could stop her." Miroku looked up at the too-serious face of his oldest daughter, Kagome. Mirroring her expression was that of her mother, Sango, who tapped her foot impatiently at both her children. In her arms was their infant son, Toshiro, who was remaining agreeably quiet.

"At least she wasn't bathing this time," Sango sighed. Their youngest had a tendency towards leaping from the bathtub and wreaking havoc across their house–and the neighbors' houses–stark naked.

Oblivious to the trouble she had gotten into this time, Kazuko hopped up and down on her father's lap. "Don't wanna sleep! Summer festival! Summer festival!"

"Oh ho!" Miroku chuckled. "So _that's_ what it is." Preparations for the summer festival, the _matsuri_, were proceeding apace in Edo. It was an exciting time, especially for children. He knew he and Sango had brought this on themselves, having bought Kazuko her first _yukata_, the summer-weight kimono traditionally worn at matsuri festivals. Ever since she had seen it, two days before, getting Kazuko to calm down had been more wearying for the parents than for the daughter. Kagome, all of seven years old and the inheritor of her mother's sternness, had also gotten a new yukata, and was nearly as excited as her sister–though she was better at controlling it. "Well," Miroku informed Kazuko sternly, "you have to sleep, Kazuko-chan. Otherwise, you won't have any energy tomorrow night when the festival opens." That was probably a lie, Miroku reflected. Kazuko had enough unbound energy to give Kouga a run for his money.

"Don't wanna sleep!" Kazuko repeated mulishly. Miroku looked at Sango, who returned it with a "She's-_your-_daughter-now" expression.

"Very well," Miroku said, putting his hands around Kazuko's middle. "How about a bedtime story?"

"Ooh," Kazuko said appreciatively. She liked bedtime stories. The trick was getting her to agree to only one. "Whatisit?" She stopped hopping, but the words spilled out of her mouth and ran into each other.

"How about a story about the Great Inu-tachi?" Miroku asked.

"Not those again, Father," Kagome said, though she curled up next to Miroku. "You've told those hundreds of times." Which was true, but they were stories Miroku was intimately familiar with. The best stories were the ones that were true. Sango rolled her eyes and turned around, heading back towards the small kitchen.

"Ah, but not this one. This one involves a summer festival, too." Miroku smiled slyly as he saw Sango pause.

"Is Mama in this?" Kazuko asked, now very serious.

"Certainly."

"Is it scary?" Kazuko didn't seem bothered by the prospect.

"Maybe a little."

"Is Aunt Kagome and Uncle Inuyasha in it?" This from Kagome. She had been named for Miroku and Sango's miko companion over the three years of the Shikon no Tama quest.

"Of course."

"And Uncle Shippo and Aunt Souten?" Shippo still came to visit, when affairs of running his own little fief in the north did not prevent him.

"Uncle Shippo is in it, but not Aunt Souten."

"Awww," Kazuko whined.

"And Kouga and Ayame and Sesshoumaru–" Suddenly Kagome was as talkative as her sister.

"Would you like to hear the story or not?" Miroku asked his children. They nodded vigorously. Sango hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked back into the common room. She slowly took a seat next to Miroku, her kimono whispering open to expose a rather attractive length of leg. He hesitated, and she pulled the kimono down, giving him a warning glance as she cradled Toshiro. As Sango often informed her proud husband, no matter what had been promised before, three children was all Miroku was going to get. He knew better than to argue the point, since Sango, even after three children, could still use her _hiraikotsu_ very well. Kohaku and his young wife were bent on singlehandedly repopulating the demon hunter clan, so three would be enough for Miroku and Sango.

"I don't remember a summer festival–" Sango began, but Miroku hushed her with an upraised hand. Both daughters stared at their father, enraptured. Toshiro yawned and went to sleep.

"Once upon a time, in the realm of Musashi..."


	2. Old Friends, New Enemies

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, let's see how this goes. Now we actually get to the story. A few quick comments:_

_1) Yukatas are indeed supposed to be worn with nothing beneath. Why, I don't know. Some pervert in Japanese history, maybe._

_2) Kagome's fireworks explanation is not a comment on NASA. She had a similar explanation of rockets. Which she shouldn't be telling a soul about in the Sengoku Jidai because Japan will probably now develop ICBMs in 1900 and win World War II._

_3) Sea wasp venom is among the deadliest in the world._

_4) I couldn't resist using the famous line from the _Terminator_ movies._

_What, no reviews?_

SCROLL ONE:

OLD FRIENDS, NEW ENEMIES

Kagome Higurashi always liked the matsuri season. As long as she could remember, she, Souta, her parents, and Grandfather had always attended them. Even the summer Kagome's father had died, they had gone to the matsuri, if for no other reason to forget their pain. Given her current predicament–having to track down the shards of a mystical jewel in competition with an archdemon–Kagome needed all the distraction she could get.

Inuyasha, naturally, was being contrary.

"Inuyasha, _please,_" Kagome begged. "I really want to see how matsuri is celebrated in the Sengoku Jidai!"

"Probably no different than from your weird time!" Inuyasha had no desire to go to the festival, summer or otherwise. He didn't like crowds, it was too hot, they were wasting time when they should be hunting Naraku–Kagome had heard all the excuses over the past hour. He'd come this far only because Kagome had threatened to go on alone. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo had taken up residence at a roadside inn, staying behind for various reasons. Shippo, because he was sure that Inuyasha would simply ruin it; Miroku, because he was sure that Sango would smash his skull if she caught him giving The Question to the village women; and Sango, because someone had to chaperone the monk even at the inn. Or so she said. Kagome had changed into a yukata she had brought from home for this express purpose, grabbed a handful of white hanyou hair, and dragged Inuyasha in the general direction of the town. It was much larger than Kaede's village, though still tiny compared to the cities Kagome knew.

"They probably don't have fireworks here," Kagome sighed.

"Fireworks?" Inuyasha looked confused.

"You don't know about fireworks?"

"No," snapped Inuyasha with a tone that implied he would find the knowledge useless in any case.

"Fireworks. They go up in the air–" Kagome used her hands to demonstrate "–and go _boom_ in big, pretty colors!"

"Oh." Inuyasha's confusion returned. "So they're like your rocket ships?"

"Forget it." Kagome adjusted a fold in her yukata. Inuyasha admitted to himself that she looked rather fetching in it, and caught himself wondering if Kagome wore it in the traditional fashion–with nothing beneath it. Luckily, he was able to chase that thought off before she caught him staring at her. "How about some food, Inuyasha?"

"Like what?"

"Cold soba noodles. With soy and a little wasabi. Mmm." Kagome rubbed her stomach, pantomiming extreme gastric pleasure.

"Blech." Inuyasha was a confirmed meat-eater. "I'd rather eat grass."

_I can arrange that,_ Kagome thought darkly. Instead, she said, "How about kakigoori?" Kakigoori was shaved ice flavored with azuki, sweet bean paste. They had shared kakigoori once before, in Kagome's Tokyo. Inuyasha's stomach involuntarily growled, and Kagome grinned triumphantly. She knew the hanyou's sweet tooth would betray him. With a wink over her shoulder, Kagome walked–sashayed, actually–down the path towards the town, joining a procession of other villagers. Inuyasha followed after a moment.

The town was crowded with people from the surrounding villages, but it was still early, so the crowds were still small enough as to not bother Inuyasha too much. For once, his ears and hair got barely a second glance: more than a few people were wearing outlandish costumes. Lined along the road were stalls selling food and offering games of chance, some for adults, some for children. The ones for children–catching goldfish and small turtles–were harmless enough, but Inuyasha was quite sure that the dice games for adults were probably rigged. There was no kakigoori, but there were other sweets and eel, a delicacy that Inuyasha remembered from his childhood.

In return for shampoo and a few other modern amenities, Sango had given Kagome a few coins that she had earned by demon hunting. Kagome rapidly spent most of it on food and little knicknacks which would be worth a small fortune to an archaeologist. Inuyasha was quickly employed as Kagome's porter.

"Why are you buyin' all this stuff?" Inuyasha asked, which came out more like "Whf arf youf fiyin fall fis fuff" because he was talking around a rice cake.

"For Miroku and Sango," Kagome replied, "and because I want to. Don't complain; it's paying for you stuffing your face!"

Inuyasha had to concede the point. He swallowed the rice cake, complimented its chef with a mighty belch, and leaned against a post while Kagome picked through a stall selling good luck charms. His heart gave a start at the sight of miko robes, but it was not Kikyo. His eyes followed the miko only for a moment, but it was long enough to notice something else.

There were five men approaching them. They were dressed casually enough, but something about their walk instantly alerted Inuyasha that these were not villagers. They carried no weapons that he could see, but that meant nothing. Surreptitiously, Inuyasha's fingers crept towards the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

Without warning, the five men broke into a run directly at him. From their kimonos, they produced various axes and knives–harmless implements in the hands of farmers, but deadly weapons in the hands of assassins. Inuyasha dropped Kagome's purchases and drew his sword: Tetsusaiga flashed out of its scabbard and went instantly from a rusted blade to its true gigantic form.

The first assassin was taken completely by surprise and was killed instantly by Inuyasha's draw cut. Blood flew across the dusty street. Inuyasha parried the second man's downward axe blow. "Kagome! Get out of here!" he shouted. He shoved the axeman backwards as the other three began to flank him. Kagome didn't have to be told twice. She kicked off her sandals–which would've slowed her down–and ran.

Inuyasha was briefly reminded of Kohaku when a _kusarigama_ flew at his head. He ducked, parried another axe, and gritted his teeth in pain as another bit into his free arm through the fire-rat cloak. He stabbed across his body, causing the assassin to fall back or be skewered, then, with a shout of "_Blades of Blood!"_ sent his own blood heading towards the two in front of him. The droplets solidified to hard daggers in midair, slicing flesh. The two men fell back as well, wounded but not dead. Inuyasha decided that discretion was the better part of valor and leapt backwards out of the trap. Besides, there was Kagome to look out for; once she was safe, he could deal with these killers. They were professionals, that much he could tell from the way they moved, and they weren't Naraku's demons, that much he could tell from their scent. That didn't mean Naraku wasn't involved–after all, it had only been a few months since Arashikaze's ronin army had very nearly killed Kagome and almost put Kaede's village to the torch.

Inuyasha landed further down the street. The four remaining assassins were in pursuit, two of them limping along. The villagers were taking cover. A whisper on the air caused Inuyasha to instinctively duck as two arrows whipped past him. His night sight revealed that there were archers on the tops of houses as well. _Damn, more of them. Someone's really on our ass this time._ Knocking more arrows out of the way with Tetsusaiga, he began looking for Kagome.

"Inuyasha! This way!" Kagome motioned from an alley.

"I thought I told you to run!" he yelled at her.

"I _am_ running!" she yelled back as they fled down the alley.

"That's not what I meant and you–owtch!" Inuyasha winced as an arrow thudded into his leg. "Bastard!" He began limping after Kagome. At the street end of the alley, he saw two of the men he had fought before turn the corner in pursuit.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome motioned at the arrow. "Are you–"

"I'm okay, dammit! Keep running!" He hated to run, but their best bet was to try and lose their pursuers, or at least find a spot where he could defend Kagome. The clatter of feet on rooftops told him there were others coming after them around the alley.

Kagome slipped and fell, unable to run in the tight-fitting kimono. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, seeing an archer appear on a rooftop, arrow nocked and pointed directly at her. He leapt, to take the arrow himself, knowing he would never make it.

A thunderclap shattered the night air. Inuyasha dropped down next to Kagome as the archer pitched facefirst into the street, the bow clattering next to him. There was a smoking hole where his chest had been. Inuyasha had no time to question what had happened, because the two assassins pursuing them had been joined by two more, and they would be on them in an instant. Inuyasha got to his feet and stood in front of Kagome, Tetsusaiga raised. They would have to make a stand, and this was as good a spot as any. He was surprised to find himself gasping for breath. His leg throbbed badly and he felt like someone was standing on his chest, but Inuyasha shut the pain away. He hoped he wouldn't have to use the Wind Scar, since it would devastate the village, but things didn't look good. Behind him, Kagome grabbed the bow and found the fallen archer's quiver. In all her adventures with Inuyasha, she had been forced to kill a human only once, but she was not about to stand here and let herself be perforated. Where there was one archer, there were probably more–and sure enough, out of the corner of one eye, she saw a man raising a bow.

"_HIRAIKOTSU!"_

Kagome had never been so happy to hear that word in her life. The boomerang whipped down the alley, making a noise that always reminded her of a helicopter. The four assassins were taken completely by surprise and went down with the sound of breaking bones. The archer on the rooftop immediately shifted targets from the girl with the bow to the girl dressed in black and red, standing at the head of the alley. He had just drawn a bead when there was a scuffle of sandals on the rooftop behind him. He turned just in time to see a monk, and, a split-second later, a raised staff. That was the last thing he was to see for quite awhile as Miroku smashed the staff down on the archer's head.

A few moments later, they were all together again. Kilala, in her full demon cat form with Shippo on her back, landed behind them as Sango retrieved her boomerang and Miroku dropped down into the alley. Sango checked the four assassins, which weren't doing a great deal of breathing, and nodded to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Are you all right?"

"We are now," Kagome sighed. "Where did you guys come from?"

Sango thumbed at Miroku. "Thank Houshi-sama's powers of persuasion."

Miroku spread his hands modestly. "I merely commented that it had been too long since Sango had a vacation, and a matsuri festival would be rather nice–" He looked at Inuyasha, who was still puffing. "Inuyasha, you've been wounded."

"I'm fine," Inuyasha growled, then fell to a knee. "Just a damn arrow–" Suddenly, he collapsed forward. "Okay," he puffed out, "maybe I'm _not_ fine..." Kagome and Sango turned him over, the hanyou finding himself unable to resist. Kagome, with the efficiency of a doctor, checked first Inuyasha's hearbeat and then his forehead. "Kami, his heart's racing–he's awfully hot–"

Sango nodded. "He's been poisoned–"

"It's sea wasp venom." They all turned at the sound of a new voice.

It was a woman, dressed in an outfit not unlike Sango's _taijiya_ catsuit, though it lacked the pink leather shoulder, shin, and midriff protectors. Her sash was blood red, her hair longer. Like Sango, she had a sword thrust into her sash, but instead of a boomerang, over one shoulder was a musket. "Who...the hell...are you?" Inuyasha struggled out.

"A friend," the woman replied. "Please come with me if you want to live."


	3. And the Last One is Death

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm. Not sure if anyone is reading this story, since there's been no reviews…oh well. I did miss a day, though._

_Sango gets pretty mean in this chapter._

SCROLL TWO:

AND THE LAST ONE IS DEATH...

The female _taijiya_ was named Kimiko Amakurikara. The Inu-tachi learned this once they reached the inn at the edge of town, because once she stripped off the demonic mask she wore, in the style of samurai, Sango had embraced her like a long-lost sister.

"It's been three years, at least!" Sango exclaimed happily. "Where have you been?"

"Here and there," Kimiko sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, setting down the heavy musket. "I've found it easier going as an independent demon hunter than belonging to a clan. Here, bring me the hanyou."

Kilala had been forced to carry the near-paralyzed Inuyasha to the inn, and he was unceremoniously dragged into the inn with Miroku supporting one shoulder and Kagome the other. Professionally, Kimiko looked over Inuyasha. He had already broken off the arrow shaft, and he gritted his teeth in pain as she eased his hakama up over the wound. It was ugly and purple. She bent down and sniffed at the wound. "Sea wasp venom. Hm." She looked to Inuyasha. "You're lucky you're half-demon, Inuyasha. If you were human, you'd be dead."

"Great," Inuyasha growled. "How do you cure it?"

"Well, first..." Without warning, Kimiko gripped what was left of the shaft and tore it free of Inuyasha's leg; he yelled in pain and then began cursing horribly. Kagome's ears turned red, and she was quite sure that not only the entire inn, but the whole province of Musashi heard him. Kimiko placed fresh cloths wrapped in herbs over the wound and tied it shut. "The herbs should help the swelling, but your own demon blood should handle the venom quite well. Again, if you were human, my only advice would be to find a good priest to preside at your funeral."

"Son of a _bitch,_" Inuyasha hissed, as another bolt of pain lanced through him. "How long?"

"A day or two at most."

"That's just fucking great." Inuyasha leaned back. Kagome helpfully placed a pillow beneath his head.

Sango decided to change the subject. "So what brings you to these parts?"

Kimiko had been filling a teacup, but she stopped. "Looking for you, Sango."

"Me? Why?"

"I'd rather not say it here."

Sango looked around at the other members of her party. "Anything you can say to me you can say in front of them. They're the only family I have left now."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow and resumed pouring the tea. She passed a cup to each of them in turn before speaking. Kagome noticed that Kimiko was older than Sango by a few years, probably in her late twenties. Her face was pleasant if not attractive; Kagome also noted that Kimiko shaved her eyebrows, in the fashion of Sengoku Jidai nobility. That and the fact she had a surname marked her as noble birth. Noblewomen acting as samurai were not unknown, Kagome knew, but she doubted demon slaying was a common practice. _There's definitely a story there,_ she thought, and hoped she would get to hear it.

Kimiko finally resumed talking. "Yes, I heard about what the archfiend Naraku did to your village, Sango. I wished that I could have been there." She ran a calloused hand across the musket, then returned her attention to the with a smile. "I've heard many a tale about those who seek the shards of the Shikon no Tama. A hanyou with a magic sword, a cursed monk, the young miko with the strange clothing, and my old friends Sango and Kilala."

"Nothing about a kitsune, neh?" Shippo asked miserably.

Kimiko rubbed the cub's hair affectionately. "I do recall hearing something about you courting the sole survivor of the Thunder clan."

"Courting?" Shippo was painfully naive.

"It means you like Souten," Miroku grinned. "A lot."

"Eww! I do _not!"_ Shippo insisted. "Girls...yuk."

"Ah, but you like Kagome and Sango." Miroku insisted.

"They're different–"

"And Kaede and the girls at the village...why, you're turning into a kitsune after my own heart, Shippo."

"I am _not!"_ Shippo repeated. "I don't like girls like you do, Miroku. I'm not a butt-loving hentai–"

"Gods _damn_ it!" Inuyasha's sudden explosion took them all by surprise. "I don't care about Shippo's love life and I've had enough of the hearts-and-flowers, pleased-to-meet-you horseshit!" He tried to get up, failed spectacularly, and dropped back to the pillow. "_Who the hell were those ninjas?"_

Kagome was glad Inuyasha brought up the subject, because she had been about to, albeit more politely. She had noticed Kimiko was nicely deferring answering Sango's question in the guise of the normal politeness expected of a host. The inn room was hers, true, but Kagome had been casting nervous glances at the shoji ricepaper walls, wondering if another squad of ninja were just out there, waiting.

"Oh, yes...the ninjas." Kimiko took another few maddening moments to sip her tea, then looked to Sango. "They're of the Osumi clan, Sango."

All the color drained out of Sango's face. The teacup suddenly trembled. "That's impossible..." she whispered. "The Osumi were driven south by Nobunaga years ago."

"No more, Sango."

"Then...is _she_ back?"

Kimiko nodded gravely. "Yes." She motioned with the teacup at Inuyasha. "Why they went after your friend the hanyou and the miko here I don't understand, but apparently they're aware of your new traveling companions, Sango. They probably hoped they'd flee back here to the inn, where they'd find you." She smiled and took another sip. "Apparently, they underestimated the hanyou and his sword. And they never saw you and your _hiraikotsu._ Or me and my friend." Once more she tapped the musket. "Taiho here does not say much, but when he does, he speaks volumes."

"I have a name," Inuyasha rasped.

"Oh, you certainly do, Inuyasha, son of Inu-taisho, brother of Sesshoumaru. Your name has long been known to the Amakurikara family. My grandfather had hoped to hunt you, but it was learned you had been tamed by the miko Kikyo–one way or the other." She looked at Kagome while Inuyasha fumed at the idea of being 'tamed.' "You must be Kikyo's granddaughter. I've heard tales of her power, and you also use the bow."

"In a manner of speaking," Kagome said, scratching the back of her head. She wasn't about to go into how she was from 400 years in the future, and was Kikyo's reincarnation.

"In any case, I don't think the ninja will return. I counted only eight, and they are either dead or wounded."

"There could be more out there," Miroku warned. "They _are_ ninja, after all."

"Yes, houshi." Kagome noted Kimiko didn't add the _sama_ honorific. "But the Tsubasa use cells of eight. One cell, one mission. If they fail, she will indeed send another team...but it will take some time for the wounded men to report their failure. We should have a few nights–long enough for you to get far enough away from here." Kimiko shrugged. "If not? Well, I think between the seven of us, we should do well enough."

"Who is this she you keep referring to?" Miroku asked.

Sango and Kimiko exchanged glances and the silence stretched into long moments. "It would be better for you not to know, houshi-sama."

"We've never had secrets before, Sango-chan," Miroku chided her, playfully, hoping to break through the sudden fear in Sango's demeanor.

"We do now." She stood. "Kimiko, do you know where she is?"

"Far from here."

"How do you know?"

Another shrug. "Because she would've tried to kill us by now."

Sango nodded. She looked to her friends. "This is my war. Stay here. I'll be back by morning."

Miroku got up. "Sango, you're not going without me–"

"Yes I am, houshi-sama, if I have to reason with you with my _hiraikotsu._ Don't worry," she smiled, a little weakly. "I'm not going to hunt for ninja. Just for some information." She turned to Kimiko. "Kimiko, I would appreciate it if you stayed here."

"Certainly. At least take your _bakeneko_ if you're not taking the monk."

Sango nodded once more and ran out the door, boomerang over one shoulder and Kilala at her heels. A sudden flare behind the ricepaper showed Kilala transform, then they were gone into the night.

"Now what?" Inuyasha asked.

"I suggest you get some sleep," Kimiko said. "It will be a long day tomorrow."

An hour or so later, in a swamp a good twenty miles from the village inn, Shuuki the kappa went about his nightly routine, which mainly revolved around stealing cucumber from local farmers. That done, he scampered back to his boggy home to enjoy his snack. Unlike most kappa, Shuuki lived generally alone. He had acquired his name, which loosely translated into 'stink,' for his aversion to being clean–which was something, since kappa usually lived in swamps and were not known for regular bathing. Shunned, Shuuki found his niche in simply listening. If a youkai needed information, Shuuki usually had it–for a price, of course. The price varied according to the power of the one asking. Shuuki would have charged Shippo a ridiculous price; Sesshoumaru would've gotten what he needed for free, because Shuuki might be many things, but stupid was not one of them. Humans weren't counted in Shuuki's price scale: he either hid from them, ran from them, or if they looked weak and he felt particularly belligerent, he would drown them.

But fighting was the last thing on Shuuki's mind at the moment; eating his cucumbers, a delicacy among kappa, was. Therefore he never saw the _hiraikotsu_ until it was too late. It whirred through the trees and tore the ground from beneath his feet. Shrieking, Shuuki went down. He was surprised to find himself whole, and got to his feet easily enough–only to realize a kappa's worst nightmare.

Kappa were youkai of a sort: minor goblins who normally acted as retainers or foot soldiers (or, as they were more likely known, cannon fodder) for greater youkai. They were fairly decent fighters on land and deadly in the water, but they had one huge weakness: the center of their head was a bowl, which held water, the source of their power. If the kappa spilled the water, it lost that power. Shuuki's hands went to his head-bowl, and found only a slight trace of water. Most of it was staining the mud around him. He screamed again and tried to run for the swamp, where he could refill the bowl, but Sango was already on him before he was halfway there. Roughly, Sango seized him by the threadbare shirt that was his only clothing, and threw him onto his back. Before Shuuki could do more than let out a strangled yelp, Sango's shortsword was at his throat. "_Komban wa, _Shuuki."

"S-Sango?" Shuuki blinked his overlarge eyes as he recognized the _taijiya_ uniform. He swallowed. "Oh, good evening to you, t-too, S-Sango-sama...nice to see you..."

"Oh, I doubt that." She glanced over at the cucumbers. "Still up to your usual tricks, Shuuki? How many farmers may go hungry tomorrow?"

"Please, Sango, please...it's only a few...your father never...he wouldn't kill me..."

"That's only because you traded information and ratted out evil youkai to save your own smelly hide." Sango was glad she was wearing her mask. "And that's the only reason you're still alive right now, Shuuki."

Shuuki saw the killing glare in Sango's eyes and knew there would be no negotiation tonight. His life was the price. "C-Certainly, Sango-sama...what do you need to know?" He smiled in what he hoped was winningly. "I hear that Ayame of the Northern Wolf tribe is a lot closer to getting that alliance with Kouga fellow. Except, did you know? He's in love with some miko and won't give her the time of day–oh, and that bastard Naraku? He fled north someplace! Can you believe that? Somebody said he was up around Mount Hak–"

"I don't care about Naraku right now." She pressed the sword closer to Shuuki's throat. "You get one chance at this, Shuuki. Lie and I'll kill you. Hesitate and I'll kill you. Tell anyone you talked to me and I will make sure you are boiled alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course! What is it?"

"Good." Sango smiled grimly. "Where is Kagai?"


	4. And Hell Followed With Him

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Things get squicky in this chapter. You have been warned._

_And thanks for reviewing, SulliMike._

SCROLL FOUR:

...AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH HIM

The inn was quiet. The moon had long since set.

In one room, Inuyasha and Kagome slept. Dealing with the poison had taken a lot of out the hanyou's system, and even if he wanted to stay up, Inuyasha's body demanded rest, and got it. Kagome lay asleep in her sleeping bag, a partition between her and Inuyasha, Shippo curled up next to her like a stuffed toy. The rest of the inn was similarly asleep, with the staff having to get up early to serve its few patrons, who, like most travelers in a medieval era, rose with the dawn. Only Miroku remained awake, pacing up and down outside the inn, waiting for Sango and Kilala to return. Not only was he worried about her, he was worried about what he had seen on her face. Anger was an emotion he was used to–he got it every time he massaged her rear end–and Sango's predilection towards blind rage when it came to Naraku was something he also knew and understood, if not condoned. But fear–no, terror–in the fearless demon hunter was not something he had seen before.

Even if Miroku had not been distracted and on the opposite side of the inn, he never would've spotted a shadow flit from the sky to alight atop the inn. It made no noise, and against a moonless sky, it was invisible. It was also insubstantial: it simply passed through the roof tiles.

Adjacent to Inuyasha and Kagome's room, Kimiko Amakurikara was also asleep. She slept fully clothed, despite the _taijiya_ uniform being none too comfortable, her musket primed and propped against a column beside her futon. The shadow alighted next to her and leaned over her sleeping form. Its mouth curled into a savage leer as it remembered its instructions. As it leaned over, it blotted out the small candle that burned in the room. Amakurikara's eyes instantly flashed open, her hands reaching for the musket. Her fingers had just closed on the polished wood stock when the demon plunged foot long claws into her chest. They remained there for just a split second before withdrawing. Every muscle in the demon hunter's body instantly went taut, her back arched, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream before she collapsed back onto the futon, eyes rolling back into her head. The demon stood over her, satisfied, but her right hand, still on the musket, suddenly convulsed and pulled the trigger. The room exploded with noise.

The demon cursed and ran for the partition to the room where the others slept, only to find that Amakurikara's final act had its intended effect–the partition slid open to reveal a disheveled Inuyasha, leaning on Tetsusaiga. "What the hell's going on–" Inuyasha began, but never finished as the demon blurred towards him and sent him flying back into the room with a solid punch. Tetsusaiga clattered to one side.

Before he could get back up, the demon jumped atop Inuyasha and wrapped its hands around his throat. They growled at each other savagely; Inuyasha grabbed the demon's wrists and tried to pry them off, but he was still weakened by the poison, and it would have been an even match in any case. Their muscles stood out as they fought each other, but slowly the demon's claws pressed into the hanyou's throat.

"_Foxfire!"_ Shippo sprang up from behind the partition and sent two balls of blue fire into the demon's eyes. It howled in pain and let go of Inuyasha just enough for the latter to kick the demon across the room. It hit the opposite wall, burst into mist, and just as quickly reformed. It grinned at Inuyasha, who had gotten Tetusaiga back, and crooked a finger at him, daring him to take a swipe.

"Why, you..." Inuyasha took a shaky step forward and swung his sword to cleave the demon in half. It simply allowed itself to be split apart and came back together as Tetsusaiga went by. Inuyasha was once more sent flying by a backhanded slap. It leapt after him again, but Inuyasha rolled aside as its claws tore furrows in the wood, which bubbled and disintegrated.

Ricepaper was torn apart as Miroku smashed his way through the wall. The demon turned to face him, but Miroku was already jerking back the beads on his glove to unleash his most potent weapon. "_Wind Tun–_" The demon's arm extended twice its length, scooped up Shippo, and threw him screaming at Miroku. The monk quickly tied the beads back up to keep from sucking in the kitsune, and both of them tumbled back through the shattered shoji wall. The demon turned its attention back to Inuyasha, who was scrambling to his feet. The demon suddenly disappeared as Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga again and reformed just behind Inuyasha, claws raised to spear into his back.

The demon never saw Kagome. Having just gotten untangled from her sleeping bag and with no time to get to her bow, she simply grabbed an arrow, felt the charge of her own miko magic coursing through her, and plunged it into the demon's back. It let out a furious scream and swung its claws around; Kagome ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated. Unable to reach her, it scrabbled uselessly at the arrow stuck into it. It screeched in frustration.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, pushing Shippo off his face. "It's solid! Kill it!"

Inuyasha had realized that fact at the same time. Kagome's arrow was not strong enough to destroy the demon; Kikyo's might have been–but it was enough to keep it from returning to smoke or shadow. "Die, bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, and this time swung true. Tetsusaiga took the demon's head off at the neck. Its screams died to nothingness as it simply faded away, leaving the stink of sulphur in the air and a circle of melted wood where it had stood.

Inuyasha let his sword fall to the floor with a clunk, winded from the fight. "Damn this poison!" He went over to Kagome. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Her hands were shaking, but that always happened after a fight.

"That's good." He sheathed Tetsusaiga.

"Hey, what about _us?_" Shippo demanded. "We're fine too, thanks, Inuyasha!"

"Ah, I knew you were okay." He looked down at the steaming hole. "What the hell was that?"

Miroku got to his feet. "A _gaidoku_ demon. I'd heard of them, but had never seen one before. I thought they were extinct." He looked down at his gloved hand. "Good thing I didn't use my Wind Tunnel–that thing was pure poison. Did it scratch you, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, a little." The thin scars on his throat burned like fire and he felt like he would throw up, but Inuyasha was determined to stay on his feet. Or at least he was until he fell down. "Dammit, now what?" His feet felt like lead. "Can't even get up now..."

"Of course not, Inuyasha, you're still under the effects of the sea wasp venom! And now you get scratched up by a poison demon!" Kagome scrambled through her backpack, found the battered first aid kit she had become an expert on recently, and got out some rubbing alcohol. She dabbed it onto a cotton ball and touched it to the scratches.

"OW!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Dammit, Kagome, that hurts!"

"It's supposed to! Now hold still. I need to disinfect that." Kagome had no idea if her impromptu poison control was working, but she supposed it couldn't hurt.

The innkeeper family had hesitantly poked their head through the opening Miroku had made. Miroku gave them a winning smile and waved his hands. "Nothing to fear, my good fellows...and ladies," he said, noticing the rather attractive daughter of the innkeeper. "It's all over now."

"Was-was it a demon?" the innkeeper stammered. "I heard you hanyou–"

"It was a demon, but it was vanquished," Miroku reassured him. "I apologize for the property damage, but I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement–"

The innkeeper waved that away. "Nonsense, houshi-sama! You protected us from the demon–a shoji wall is nothing, neh? Think nothing of it or your bill!"

"Ah, very generous of you, sir." Miroku bowed.

"It is I who am honored and thankful, houshi-sama. The kami have blessed us that we would have such demon hunters staying under our roof!" The innkeeper dropped to his knees and bowed very deeply, touching his head to the floor.

Miroku was about to mention something about needing food for the road when he abruptly remembered Amakurikara. He turned and walked into her room. "Oh, Blessed Buddha!" he cried. "Kagome, get in here–hurry!" Kagome left off her ministrations to Inuyasha and rushed into the room. Her hands went to her mouth in horror.

Amakurikara lay on her futon, sprawled across it. The futon was soaked in blood that dribbled through cracks in the floor. Kagome could tell she was bleeding from every orifice in her body; she was even crying blood.. She and Miroku knelt next to the demon hunter, whose eyes suddenly opened. She struggled to sit up, then to talk, but when she opened her mouth, a torrent of blood burst forth. Miroku noticed that Amakurikara's body was misshapen beneath the futon's covers. "Oh, kami..." He remembered what he had heard about the _gaidoku_ demons' powers: their poison liquified their victims, slowly, and from the inside out. Kagome stumbled from the room to vomit outside.

"H-houshi..." Amakurikara struggled out, trying to breathe. "Kag–Kagai–it–Kagai–" She reached out a trembling hand, and Miroku grasped it. "Te-te-tell..."

"Don't talk, save your strength," Miroku told her, knowing that there was no hope at all, but unable to bring himself to say it.

Amakurikara suddenly gripped his hand hard. "Tell Sango–Kagai hunts us–tell her–" She choked on the blood again.

"I will, Amakurikara-sama. I will."

"H-Hours...to die..." Her free hand grasped for her shortsword. "End...don't wa-want...h-honor..."

Miroku understood. He unsheathed the sword and gently folded her hands around the hilt as he placed it beneath her chin, pointed upwards. He kept his hands wrapped around hers. She smiled. "Tha-thank...you...h-h-houshi..."

The sword thrust was clean and instantly fatal. Miroku made sure of that. When it was done, he stepped back, brought up his hands, and said a prayer for the soul of a brave woman he had barely known.

* * *

Miroku was washing his arms free of Amakurikara's blood in the innkeeper's tub when he saw Kilala arrive. Sango walked past him and saw the blood. "What happened?" she asked in a whisper.

"We were attacked by a poison demon–a _gaidoku._ Kagome, Shippo, and myself are unhurt. Inuyasha is still fighting off the effects of the poison, but he should be fine..." His voice trailed off, knowing what he had to say and not wanting to say it.

"Kimiko?" It came out as a whisper.

Miroku bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Sango. The demon struck at her first."

"Where is she?"

Miroku led her to where they had placed the demon huntress' body, underneath a tree the locals considered sacred, like the Goshimboku near Kaede's village. The body was already gone, having simply melted away into the ground. The innkeeper and his family were scrubbing the floor free of the blood. Sango stared at the ground for a moment, then dropped to her knees. Miroku was instantly at her side, but to his surprise, she was not crying, but trembling in rage. "This is _my_ fault, houshi-sama," she said before he had a chance to ask. "Her death is on my hands."

"It's not your fault," he protested. "The demon–it was a shadow. Had Amakurikara-sama not fired her musket somehow, it might have gotten us all. If anything, the fault is mine. I was on watch, but my thoughts...were elsewhere."

"Thinking about me?" Sango snapped. She shook her head. "No. No, I'm sorry, houshi-sama...I shouldn't snap at you. You were right. There should be no secrets between us." She rose and began walking briskly towards the inn. "Can Inuyasha travel?"

"Yes. Even if he couldn't, he would–you know him–" Miroku caught the look on her face. "Sango, what is it?" She kept walking and he was forced to run to catch up to her. "Sango, what–"

"We have to leave. _Now._ We should've left hours ago, when the ninjas first attacked. Gather your things, houshi, or I'll leave without you–"

He grabbed her arm. "Sango, _talk._ Who is Kagai?"

The expression on her face was so full of pure hatred that Miroku let go. "She is Kimiko's killer, and many others'," Sango answered. "And I will not live under the same sky as her any longer."


End file.
